Natural killer (NK) cells have been the focus of interest of immunologists for almost two decades. It basically is part of your white blood cell system. Natural Killer Cells can either help your pregnancy or go against your pregnancy. It can go both ways. Having Natural Killer Cells does not mean it is bad.
In this respect, CD56 (also known as neural cell adhesion molecule) is a very good example. CD56 is the archetypal phenotypic marker of natural killer cells but can actually be expressed by many more immune cells, including alpha beta T cells, gamma delta T cells, dendritic cells, and monocytes.
The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), also known as CD56, is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily engaged in both so-called homophilic and heterophilic interactions.
The increasing knowledge of NK cell biology acquired throughout this period has led to a paradigm shift – for a long time NK cells were considered merely as relatively primitive killers but they are now seen not only as bona fide actors in innate immunity but also as important cells that shape and influence adaptive immune responses and are more and more being endorsed with an immunoregulatory role.
However, NK cells are not a homogeneous cell population and several subtypes exist in both human and mouse.
In this review, we will focus on the CD56bright NK cell population because important and interesting discoveries regarding this subset have been made in recent years. We will mostly review the literature but also present some data obtained in our laboratory. Mouse NK cells are excluded from the discussion because they do not express CD56. However, on the basis of the differential expression of the surface markers CD11b and CD27, three mouse NK cell subpopulations with different functional properties have been described.4 Recently, it has been suggested that mouse NK cells expressing the chemokine receptor CXCR3 might represent the murine equivalent to human CD56bright cells.5
For more information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673358/
What triggers Natural Killer Cells C56?
NK cells are activated in response to interferons or macrophage-derived cytokines. They serve to contain viral infections while the adaptive immune response generates antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells that can clear the infection.
Why do some people have higher Natural Killer Cells CD56 than others?
Inflammation. Healthy individuals have natural killer cells that in fact “sees well” and can protect the embryo from harmful viruses. And the other natural killer cells protect the body. The problem arises when these cells lose sight and are unable to identify clearly, what is an invader, and what is embryo, and these cells start to attack everything foreign blindly, including the embryo.
Overreactive Natural Killer Cells, that are literally blind, and attack EVERYTHING, is the concern. We are not concerned about Natural Killer Cells doing its job, that is to protect the embryo from infections and prevent the mother from viruses.
What are the types of Natural Killer Cells and what do they do?
In Your Uterus – Uterine Natural Killer Cells protect the embryo against serious infections.
In Your Blood – Protect your body against viral infections and cancer cells.
Natural Killer cells is an important factor in successful pregnancy.
Your embryo is different
What is Immune Tolerance during pregnancy?
That’s when your immune cells learn about the new “foreign body” and protects it against virus and help with the implantation. Your body developed “Immune Tolerance” to the new embryo and therefore during pregnancy, you will have high NK Cells and is normal.
What is problematic is when these uterine Natural Killer cells, start attacking the embryo instead of protect it. This is especially prominent in women with a different blood type to her baby, or women with compromised immune system. For example, Asthma is a kind of immune deficiency or overreaction, where the immune system cannot see properly, and start overreacting.
There are no research to suggest that having more probiotics (BB12, and LGG) strains will help improve immune system and enable these cells to “see better”, still many women take HIGH QUALITY probiotics and have successful pregnancies.
Will my Natural Killer Cells Increase during pregnancy? Where are these cells normally Found?
The Endometrium where the inner epithelial layer is, is normally where you will find the “Uterine Natural killer cells”
Thee cells flourish when there is a high progesterone level.
Pregnancy is accompanied by high progesterone levels, therefore this is normal.
But it is important your Natural Killer Cells, can see properly and detect the right invaders and not shoot blindly anything that is foreign. Natural Killer Cells need to see well in order to kill SELECTIVELY.
Conclusion:
Having higher Natural Killer Cells does not mean it is bad. What seems to be more important is whether or not, Natural Killer Cells can identify and protect the embryo than to mistake the embryo as an invader. A malfunction of natural killer cells means literally, it lost sight and unable to determine what is a well balanced attack, and what is a foreign body.
Videos that talks about Natural Killer Cells and pregnancy
Immune Rejection of Embryo within the endometrium
JK and Charlie’s experience on Natural Killer Cells and pregnancy
#miscarriage #naturalkillercells #NK56
